May 21, 2003

Race Versus Lazy Greed "I

Race Versus Lazy Greed

"I want to offer my experience as a lesson," Mr. Blair writes, "for the precipice from which I plunged is one on which many young, ambitious, well-educated and accomplished African Americans and other â€˜minorities' teeter, though most, of course, do manage to pull back from the brink. That precipice overhangs America's racial divide; and the winds sucking us down into the chasm (cultural isolation, professional mistrust, and the external and internal imperatives to succeed, at all costs, to name a few) can be too strong for the troubled and unpreparedâ€”as I wasâ€”to withstand.

No, Jayson Blair, you're a liar. You're a liar and a despicable plagiarist thief. You made money by fabricating tales and passing them off as legitimate news, deeply shaking an already incredulous public faith in the machine of the modern media. And now you want a book deal so you can make more money trying to establish a tenuous connection to your race and your blatant disregard for the truth and journalistic integrity. You tout yourself as a well-educated and accomplished African American, thereby insulting those who are truly well-educated and accomplished African Americans. Screw you, Jayson Blair. The last second is ticking off your 15 minutes of fame, and I hope you forever suffer for your reckless and lazy approach to journalism.